Prayer for Today – June 16

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 16, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

The old preacher tells us there is a season for everything under the sun. Yes, that is true; and yes, this is a season for weeping. Our tears flow freely as we consider what we have lost in our nation. We are far more fragile than we assumed. We will never forget windows crashing in the night, sirens screaming, rushing crowds chanting retribution, looters taking advantage of the chaos. All point to the bitter unrest within our souls. Forgive us, Good Lord, for the part we have played in this pent-up frustration. If all the tears of the grieving were collected, there would be more than enough to drench the earth.

Father in heaven, hear us.    

O Good Shepherd, your sheep have all scattered and have gone their own way. Some huddle in little groups trying to map out a way to get back to the fold. Others plot a different course entirely. Still others are too weary to travel, and some carry only vague memories of home, having even forgotten who they are. Give us courage and wisdom, we pray, to find the highway of hope that leads to your door. And once we step upon it, even the weakest among us will hear your voice calling. Then we will remember we belong to your holy flock, and you will not rest until each is accounted for.

Father in heaven, lead us home.    

Eternal One, this day we remember the mercy your Son showed to those who existed among the unrelenting shadows in your day – the ones in pain of one sort or another. We, as they, want instant healing from all that ails us, but sometimes we have to live through the pain in order to find your grace as we endure. And on the other side, you are there to celebrate with us. Still, as Jesus asked, we lay our present cares and burdens before you, knowing we are not forgotten:

  • Two college graduates celebrate their new jobs
  • Thankful for prayers – signs of healing appearing within a family
  • Thank you for prayers – dear friend’s malignancy seems to be improving
  • Gratitude for prayers: a head wound is healing appropriately
  • Easing of a member’s side effects from cancer treatments
  • Three struggling with depression, please pray for healing
  • Calming grace for a mother undergoing important medical tests soon
  • Courage for a sister in San Antonio having surgery today, that all may go well
  • Continued healing & patience for an ill member recovering at home
  • Guidance for a professional, making decisions about future employment
  • Prayers for our incoming pastors: Rev. Catherine Nance & Rev. Tim Best
  • A couple searching for a one-level home & the husband with heart issues
  • Prayers that a home remodel will be completed soon, patience for owners
  • A family struggling to make it financially
  • Two friends who are mourning the deaths of mothers & grandmother

Father in heaven, heal us.

Where would we be, O Greatest Friend, if you were not with us? For you are our Everlasting Hope, always receiving our prayers and praise, and always remolding our souls to more closely resemble the flawless soul of your treasured Son, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

/by

Prayer for Today – June 15

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 15, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Risen Christ, with signs of conflict increasing everywhere, we cling to the assurance that the power of your love is still pulsing through us and throughout the darkness of our world. In those particular places where the trauma of violence reigns, we pray for renewal and healing. We believe that even now you are bringing light to those who sit in the caverns of gloom. You are cleansing hearts filled with hate and lifting the burdens of those weighed down by feelings of helplessness.

Lord in your goodness, hear our prayer.    

O Loving Creator, your image is planted in each of us. Grant that we may find a way to live in unity, discovering joy within our individual differences. May we learn to honor and share our unique identities and diverse communities. There is much work to be done. Help us take a risk for your love’s sake today, knowing that we are always safe in you.

Lord in your goodness, hear our prayer.    

O Caring One, in spite of the beautiful gifts you lay at our feet every day, there remain those who are grieving, who struggle with chronic health conditions, who are shut away due to the pandemic, who are lonely, confused, grieving and uncertain. Grant each one that peace that surpasses human understanding. Also receive these concerns and thanksgivings from the hearts of our Church Street family:

  • Prayers appreciated: relative gave birth on Thursday to a beautiful baby boy – mother recently recovered from Covid-19
  • Thanksgiving: member was uplifted by prayers during her tests in Colorado
  • Gratitude: ill member home from hospital; please pray for patience and strength in his continued recovery
  • Grateful for prayers, my relative in Florida ICU has died peacefully and is with God
  • Gratitude: police & public officials serving with integrity and professionalism
  • Please pray for decreased stress at work for a professional
  • Prayers for our incoming pastors: Rev. Catherine Nance and Rev. Tim Best
  • A couple searching for a one-level home and the husband with heart issues
  • Prayers that a home remodel will be completed soon, patience for owners
  • A family struggling to make it financially during this time of pandemic
  • Two friends who are mourning the deaths of mothers & grandmother
  • For love to overcome distrust and rancor during this time of uncertainty

Lord in your goodness, hear our prayer.    

We recall other times in our lives when we felt all was lost, but in your infinite mercy, you pulled us through. Weeping may spend the night, the psalmist told us, but joy comes in the morning. We watch and wait for that bright dawn, Lord of Life, for you never fail us.

Lord in your goodness, hear our prayer.    

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ we pray, joining our voices with all those throughout the world who seek to live in harmony with one another:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join us for a midday devotion

Join Rev. Cantler today at noon on our YouTube Channel for a short devotion to start your week.

 

/by

Prayer for Today – June 12

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 12, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Taproot of our Being, sink our roots deep and deeper still in the nourishing soil of your strength. We are like saplings, buried in shallow ground, and we sway in every direction when the smallest wind of unease blows through. We regret our weakness and pray you would give us a firmer foothold for our lives in this era. May our fragile roots move closer, merging with your indestructible one, that our faith might become as stable and secure as a might oak.

Hear us Lord, for your mercy is great.    

We would be trees, as those planted by flowing streams, bringing fruit in due season, having leaves that do not wither. May we be as those who offer the gift of greenness to others whose lives are somber gray. May we bring life to those whose hopes are ebbing away and may we become shade for those who have no roof of protection. Not of our own power will such things come to pass, O Loving God, but through your grace alone.

Hear us Lord, for your mercy is great.    

Arbor of Peace, may we weary ones find rest and renewal under your beautiful branches of healing. There is room enough in that glade for those of us who are ill, defeated, lonely, tired, and worn. Watch over us there until we have recovered from the wounds of the world. And especially we lift up these church friends who offer their own burdens and thanksgivings to you:

  • Gratitude: a father is improving, now moved from ICU to a regular room
  • Thank you for prayers – procedure for one with brain cancer was a success
  • Family offers praises for the love and joy brought by their first grandchild
  • Gratitude: all who continue to work to protect us during this Covid-19 era
  • Prayers for our incoming pastors: Rev. Catherine Nance & Rev. Tim Best
  • A couple searching for a one-level home and the husband with heart issues
  • Continued prayers for a member adjusting to her new home in assisted living
  • Prayers that a home remodel will be completed soon, patience for owners
  • Courage and healing of a mother with leukemia and prayers for her family
  • A mother with memory problems; patience for daughter who cares for her
  • Correct diagnosis & treatment plan for a member having extensive breathing tests in Colorado and prayers for her husband who stands by

Your very nearness brings the reassurance for which we thirst.

Hear us Lord, for your mercy is great.    

Tree of Life, we thank you for listening and for accepting our prayers and reflections today. Remind us, as we go through the hours ahead, that only by your grace do we have life; and help us live as those who are rooted in Jesus, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

 

/by

Prayer for Today – June 11

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 11, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O One Who Gives Us Life and Who Calls Us By Name, we are grateful that we may pray to you both in our triumphs and in our trials, in our success and in our sinfulness, in our confidence and in our confusion. And when the words in our hearts break apart and turn to dust, we need only reach for the Psalms that speak our emotions of praise, lament, doubt, and confession. The apostle taught us to pray without ceasing. Give us resolve, we pray, to do just that.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

We confess that we have grown lazy, Gentle Listener, and often neglect our time of spiritual communion with you. But in truth, to whom can we turn, but to you? Few others have the patience to receive our droning complaints and the ugliness of our souls laid bare. And only in the confines of your presence dare we reveal our temptations, cowardice and shame. You make space for us in your day, so let us make space for you. Preserve us, O God, for in you we take refuge.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

Forgive us, Reassuring One, when we begin to think there is no hope for our fractured world, which seems to be crumbling down around us. You are not yet finished with this planet that you created out of love. You are still at work transforming lives and calling us out of darkness. With you there is always hope.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

We witness your healing in the ways you are already bringing newness to our lives within our church community, and for that we are thankful. Now receive, we pray, these offers of praise and calls for healing that we lift up today:

  • A family is very thankful for an upcoming vacation
  • One celebrates extra work – funds will tide her over financially
  • Gratitude: Betty Asha’s work in feeding South Sudanese refugees in Uganda
  • Thankful that the riots, burning and looting seem to be decreasing
  • Grateful that fresh light has been shed on brutality & maltreatment of persons of color
  • Thank you for prayers: a mother has moved to assisted living and is adjusting
  • Prayers for a member just returned to ICU for correct diagnosis and healing
  • A family friend at Vanderbilt with brain cancer, that she is strong enough to have a procedure today
  • A mother with memory problems; patience for daughter who cares for her
  • Strength and courage for one having extensive breathing tests in Colorado, for correct diagnosis and treatment, prayers for her husband who stands by
  • A brother in pain, for proper diagnosis of his malady
  • Healing for one with seasonal depression and diabetes
  • Healing of a mother’s grief – her dear friend in hospice care
  • Courage for a relative in ICU in Florida who is sinking

How blessed we are to have you as our companion, for you never give up on us.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

We offer our prayers and petitions in earnest to you, O Eternal One, whose glorious nature of mercy, justice and love was perfectly revealed to us in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join us for a midday devotion

Head to our YouTube channel at noon today for Rev. Starks’ short devotion.

 

/by

Prayer for Today – June 10

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 10, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O God On The Move, along the shore Jesus strode that day long ago, and he spoke to Peter and Andrew who were combing the surf. “Follow me,” he called; and in an instant they set aside their livelihood to step alongside one who promised them nothing. What was it in that simple summons, we wonder, that caused the brothers to give up their boats, sails, oars, and even their families? Perchance they sensed his aura of hope – the hope they so desperately needed. And if it meant leaving everything to receive such hope, it was worth the gamble. Lord, call us again from all that demands our attention. We confess we have gone our own way again and we long to hear your voice calling us home. Give us courage, we pray, to leave behind all that ties us down and to return to our place at your side.

Father in heaven, hear our prayer.    

We stand today on the other side of the sea. Across the angry waves, we remember full well what brutalities those first disciples encountered, and we shrink in fear. What will be asked of us, we wonder? How will we respond when the waters close over us? We can never know for certain, yet we are caught already in your net of grace, O Master of the Waves, and you will surely save us on your rescue line of mercy.

Father in heaven, hear our prayer.    

Spirit of Calm, you witness with dismay the tempestuous clouds encircling our nation, the gusts of anger rough and ugly. Violence and destruction are never in your plan. Still, our needs are tangled, and we lash out because we know they cannot be unraveled overnight. Pour your healing streams upon us, we pray, and show us the way to untangle the knots of injustice that were tied centuries ago. Wash our hearts and minds that we might be the disciples we promised to be. Only then will we greet one another, not with clenched fists, but with open hands bearing the gifts of acceptance and hope.

Father in heaven, hear our prayer.    

As we seek to walk closer with you, Good Lord, we lift up all the ways in which you have blessed us . . . And we offer these particular thanksgivings and these concerns on behalf of our friends within our congregation:

  • Gratitude: a friend is recovering well after a fall
  • Prayers of thanksgiving: a heart issue is being corrected with medication
  • Happy couple grateful obstacles are erased & they can plan their July wedding
  • Gratitude: one recovering from recent foot surgery is now back at work
  • A couple preparing to move to a new home, for healing of grief and for energy to complete the work
  • Wisdom for one preparing for a final examination in a critical course
  • Family grieving the recent death of a cherished grandmother
  • A mother with memory problems; patience for daughter who cares for her
  • Healing mercies for a husband with significant prostate problems
  • Prayers for a member with spot on kidney, for appropriate diagnosis
  • Grace & peace for beloved mother who must move to assisted living soon
  • Pray for healing of a very ill member who returned to ER yesterday
  • Proper diagnosis for a brother who suffers great urologic pain
  • Healing for one with seasonal depression and diabetes

These petitions come from the depths of our souls, and are offered in gratitude and remembrance of the Greatest Fisherman who said “Be not afraid,” and who taught us to pray in this way:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

 

/by

Prayer for Today – June 9

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 9, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

Today, let us join with all creation and sing a love song to our Creator! How grateful we are that you have made us part of your wondrous world! For families and friends who laugh with us when we are joyful, for intimates with whom we may share both our dreams and our doubts, for the indescribably stunning universe you have crafted, for the ways you have uniquely gifted each of us, and for your love that spans the ages – by all these we are blessed indeed. How beautiful is your name in all the earth!

Lord of Life, hear our prayer.    

You have touched us, O Christ, and we will never again be the same. Thank you, O Lord, for not leaving us to our own devices, for in your mercy you sent your Holy Example among us, a tangible being to show us how to live. We fall daily, as we are weak; but you are ever quick to pick us up, brush us off, and set us in the places where we can serve you best. Forgive our flaws and failures, we pray, but you know that we are trying in earnest.

Lord of Life, hear our prayer.

So much has happened, and alas, so much has failed to happen, during this period of pandemic and protest. Stress, strife and turmoil are bubbling over in our beloved country and throughout the world. Yes, we must shoulder part of the blame ourselves, for we have allowed inequities to continue far too long. But you turn our heads, not to yesterday, O Lord, but to the present. Forgive us for not spreading your grace and glory, as we promised. Forgive our failure to bring hope to the hopeless, and to take love where there is hurt and hate. We lift up prayers for all whom we have offended, and also ask that you would bring the breath of new life to these ones in our church family who lay before you their joys and concerns:

  • Gratitude: cataract surgery went smoothly yesterday
  • A family celebrates a son who has been promoted to captain in the USN
  • One celebrates the welcome offer of a new job
  • A mother celebrates her steady return to health following hospitalization
  • Protection of all protesting in peaceable fashion throughout our nation and for all officials who risk their lives to help keep order
  • A relative in ICU who is severely depressed, for healing grace
  • Elderly loved ones in isolation for month due to the virus threat
  • Continued prayers for one recovering from breast surgery
  • God’s protection & healing for one who faces a lengthy recovery
  • That our people may turn to God for solutions to our nation’s unrest
  • Proper diagnosis for a brother who suffers great urologic pain
  • Strength for one who is working to combat her depression

Lord of Life, hear our prayer.

You have commissioned us to share your gospel of peace and life everlasting to all whom we meet. May we begin anew this day, declaring your message of undying love through our words and our deeds:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

 

/by

Prayer for Today – June 8

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 8, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

We understand you, O Compassionate Being, as one who knows our struggles and who travels with us, lest we fall upon the rocky thoroughfares of life. Yes, you are our Gentle Confidant and Friend, but we are perhaps too quick to overlook your power and dominion over all that is created. For your voice thunders over the mightiest waters and your speech is majestic – strong enough to break the great cedars of Lebanon, the Psalmist tells us. Your voice alone can shake the desert and twist the gigantic oaks. Forgive us, Lord, for our small vision, for our whittling you down to the size that fits our own needs.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

You told Moses and the Israelites thereafter: “I Am Who I Am; I Will Be Who I Will Be.” You are not one whom we might coax and manipulate, nor one whom we can ever fully understand.  But we have heard of your deeds, we have been recipients of your mercy, and we have been saved by your grace. These miracles alone are all we need to know. Our faith itself depends not on our understanding of your unfathomable essence, but by our depending upon your enduring benevolence.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O One Who Journeys With Us, you have brought us through a week of harsh conflicts as a community and as a nation. Our hearts ache as we witness papered-over struggles of the past once again breaking open the veneer of parity. Forgive our complicity in these ongoing divisions, we pray; share your wisdom, that our faith may help forge a new road that points toward that new future you plan for us.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

There are other personal concerns that crowd our waking moments, O God, so we open our souls to you, knowing you are just a whisper away:

  • Gratitude: a father is recovering from his injuries after a fall and may be able to return to his residence soon
  • Thankful for prayers: mother is walking following hip surgery and is now home
  • A member is grateful for an inner ear diagnosis & her return to health
  • Thankful that cancer surgery went well and family is being a great help
  • Gratitude: a pregnant niece is healed of Covid-19 & will have her baby soon
  • Please pray for fiance’s safety in National Guard as he helps keep order in D.C.
  • A dear friend entering home hospice care – for grace and peace
  • For healing grace to surround one who continues to recover from surgery
  • That our nation may turn to God for solutions to our nation’s unrest
  • For our church to follow the UMC’s directive to support our Christian sisters and brothers working to eradicate racism, violence, and injustice
  • A dear friend who continues to struggle with cancer, for his family who assist
  • Healing for one suffering immense back pain
  • Proper diagnosis for a brother who suffers great urologic pain
  • Strength for one seeking to reduce her A1C level & combat depression

O Untamable One, though you are mightier than the fiercest storm, your Son taught us that you are always ready to hear from your children; so we humbly offer these prayers this day, and even our unspoken ones, in the name of Christ, who is above all, yet in all:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join us for a midday devotion

Head over to our YouTube channel at noon today for a short devotion to start your week!

/by

Prayer for Today – June 5

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 5, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

Our friend Jesus taught that life in his fold would not be easy; he warned of lurking dangers and unforeseen divisions. We will be upheld, he assured us, but pitfalls will not necessarily be erased. We have found this indeed to be true in our own experience. At times we are slaves to our routines and our own clouded imaginations, not adhering to the Holy Vision, but trusting in what has always been. Friends and even families let us down and we feel ourselves slipping on the sharp edges of discouragement. Be that strong shelter for us, O Lord. Hide us there and heal us until we are strong enough to try again.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

As you nurture us in that secure place, set us apart from our misdeeds and remind us that the past is the past. We asked forgiveness for our sins of yesterday and know that you absolved us. Nevertheless, not long after you blot out our deeds, we find ourselves picking up those hard remnants and loading them on our backs again. Your generous forgiveness is not yet ingrained in our hearts, so teach us how to release those rocks of regret and get on with the work of being your faithful disciples in the present.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

We call upon you alone, O Living Stone, for you have been our refuge from one generation to another. Hear now the prayers of our own souls this day, for we lift them up to your mercy . . .

And bend your ear to receive these offerings from our own church family:

  • Thankful that cancer surgery went well & family is a great help
  • An elderly father has been released from hospital & is recovering at home
  • Gratitude: a woman divorcing has received welcome news & financial support
  • Family celebrates the birth yesterday of a beautiful baby boy
  • A family offers thanks that a mother’s hip surgery went smoothly
  • Healing prayers for a family bidding a final farewell to a beloved son this day
  • Relief for husband who suffers recurrent PTSD, healing of his depression
  • A dear friend who continues to struggle with cancer, for his family who assist
  • Safety of peaceful demonstrators as they make their convictions known
  • Healing for one suffering immense back pain, for successful procedure today
  • Healing of a young father who continues his battle against cancer
  • Protection for those public servants endeavoring to restore peace

 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

We are thankful for the psalmist’s words which foretold the unevenly shaped granite that was cast off by the builders. How wondrous that the Rejected Block became the capstone upon which all our faith is built! And we see how this miracle overlays our own stories as well. For while we humans are flawed and imperfect, through Christ, our humble efforts are ever encouraging others whom the world has tossed aside.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

You have set our feet upon your boulder of blessing, Gentle Lord; and as Jesus is with us now, we know our footing is secure. Thus we pray in his name:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

/by

Prayer for Today – June 4

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 4, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Constant Companion, we offer gratitude today for your church universal and for our own congregation in particular. Although we are separated physically from members of our church family, still we are bound together through your Holy Spirit in love and commitment. We confess that we remain restless during our time apart, and we tire of all the hurdles we must cross before we may meet together again in the flesh. But St. Paul taught us that love is patient and love endures all things, so let us take heart, knowing our loneliness will come to an end; and then we shall look back and realize your love was only a heartbeat away, and you never left our side for one moment.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.    

O Steadfast Friend, how blessed we are that you have brought goodness out of our setbacks! During the pandemic, it seems creativity was our guide. You have shown us how to retell the story of salvation through liturgy, music, devotionals, sermons, class meetings, and Circle gatherings via technology. You have shown us how to safely carry out our mission work of clothing the needy, feeding the hungry in our community, and packing more Zimbabwe food buckets than we ever imagined! The lonely receive personal contact each day; youth and children’s events continue to inspire. You have knit us more closely as a family as we have prayed regularly together, bearing each other’s burdens and celebrating each other’s blessings. How fortunate we are to have your friendship.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.      

You already know, Dear One, that we fall by the wayside from time to time, giving in to self-pity, doubts, and self-indulgence. Forgive us, we pray, and hear also these private confessions we now whisper . . .

Create in us new hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. And hear as well these concerns on the hearts of our members:

  • Gratitude: a mother’s medical test was normal
  • One offers thanks for the group of friends who continue to check on her
  • A member’s major surgery yesterday was successful, for continued healing
  • An ill member is thankful for the prayer shawl that was made for him
  • Prayers for a mother having hip replacement surgery today
  • Please pray for a couple dealing with depression and health issues
  • That our church would confront race and diversity in our community and work toward becoming allies for all our brothers and sisters in Christ
  • A dear friend who is fighting cancer, for his family who assist him
  • God’s grace to surround a sister & family – 40-yr-old son died on May 31
  • Protection for a daughter & a brother in DC – that rioting comes to an end
  • Wisdom & guidance for daughters making decisions about their mother’s care
  • Prayers for a member facing a divorce, that God may make a new path for her
  • Safety of police / National Guard who serve to protect lives & property
  • Healing of a young father who continues his battle against cancer

Thank you for hearing us whenever we turn to you in earnest. Lift us up, O Lord, and we will continue to praise your holy name.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.    

O Lord of All That Is, we offer our prayers and petitions this day, as Jesus asked us to share all things with our Heavenly Father. In your mercy and in your own way, attend to our concerns, for we offer them in the name of the Beloved One, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Devotion at noon today

Head over to our YouTube Channel at noon today for a short devotion with Rev. Starks.

/by

Prayer for Today – June 3

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 3, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

May we enter this day lifting up praise to you, O Lord, for you entrust us to bless and keep your good earth, to proclaim your holy name, to offer forgiveness as swiftly as the bird in flight, to show mercy when retribution is expected, and to love as sincerely as did your Son. With your help, may it be so.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

The apostle reminds us that we already have a sincere faith within us, but he advises us to rekindle this gift from God. For, through grace, we are not given a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. With gifts such as these, are we not supplied sufficiently to address the upheaval of our era? There are grievous inequities among our people; there are unfair practices that widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. A Voice calls us to awaken, to partner together, that all may live an abundant life and in peace and parity with their neighbors. Grant that we might rouse from our sleep and answer the call to work for oneness.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

Wondrous Healer, we pray you would bind up the gaping wounds of our nation so freshly inflicted. The innocent have been slain, and those seeking to help have been injured and traumatized. Violence is not your way, O Lord, so surely you weep when warring scenes unfold. Embed your wisdom within the hearts of our local, state, and national leaders, we pray, that healing resolutions may be fashioned and implemented for the good of all.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

Our souls also weep for those who continue to suffer: elderly friends shuttered away and out of touch, those who mourn loved ones who have died, ill family members who can have no visitors, the confused, the imprisoned. May your Spirit be at work among them, that they may know they are not forgotten. And accept also these praises and petitions close to the hearts of your people at Church Street:

  • Gratitude: good news from a biopsy report – thank you for praying
  • A member’s heart arrhythmia is under control, and he is home from hospital
  • Relative in TX sends deep gratitude to those creating our online worship
  • Thankful that a family’s move is complete and they are settling in new home
  • A mother is grateful that her son and daughter-in-law are now safe in Knoxville
  • A happy couple celebrates their 24th wedding anniversary
  • Protection for a daughter and a brother in DC & a grandson in Brooklyn
  • Wisdom and guidance for daughters making decisions about their mother’s care
  • Protection of two family members, police officials working to keep the peace
  • That we white people will truly listen to our black brothers and sisters, that we might hear God’s call to change our hearts & our systems of oppression
  • Safety of police and National Guard who serve to protect lives and property
  • Healing mercies for a woman having major surgery today
  • Courage for a member in a rehab unit: ill, lonely, & depressed
  • A dear friend awaiting medical test results, that news will be promising

Thank you, Compassionate Friend, for hearing us and for working on our behalf.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

We give praise to the Holy One who created us, to Christ who cherishes us, and the Spirit who dwells in our hearts now and evermore:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

/by